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Joining The Dots

I have now published my new book, Joining The Dots, which offers a fresh look at the Atlantis mystery. I have addressed the critical questions of when, where and who, using Plato's own words, tempered with some critical thinking and a modicum of common sense.

Recent Updates

Russia

Arkaim isa 2nd millennium BC archaeological site in Russia, although some date it to 7000 BC(c). The site was rediscovered in 1987 just as the locality was at risk of submersion due to a proposed nearby dam-building project. This was later put on hold.

It has been compared with Stonehenge(b), troy towns(d) and Plato’s Atlantis(a). It is also claimed as a psychic ‘hotspot’’(e) as well as a site of UFO activity!

The Atlantis link is just fanciful and does not stand up to the most cursory examination. For example, there is no evidence that Arkaim was ever submerged as Atlantis was recorded to have been by Plato.

A 2014 article that compared Arkaim with Stonehenge commented that “It would seem that Arkaim is an even better astronomical observatory than its namesake.”(g)

Victoria Lepage, a purveyor of mystical twaddle has endeavoured to incorporate Arkaim into her pathetic view of world history(h).

Dale Drinnon’s website included an extensive entry on Arkaim in Feb. 2012(f).

August 2015 produced a report(i) that a 2,000-year-old skeleton of a female, with an elongated skull had been unearthed in the vicinity of Arkaim. Apparently, this was the result of a local tradition of head-binding.

ROIPA is an acronym for the original Russian title of the Russian Society for the Study of Problems of Atlantis which is the leading association in the Russian Federation for the study of Atlantology.

It was formally established in 2003 although it has its roots in the early 1990’s. Since then it has organised three congresses of Atlantologists, published papers and books including its recent Cronos almanac. There is also an ongoing programme of lectures.

Alexander Voronin was the president of ROIPA and I had the pleasure of meeting him in Malta in 2011. Sadly, Alexander died November 6th 2012.

Membership of ROIPA is normally confined to Russian citizens, so I was greatly flattered when I was given honorary membership of the organisation in 2011.

In March 2014, I was contacted by the new president of ROIPA, George Nefediev, who informed me that the work of the society was back on track and has already held a conference in December, 2013. They are currently developing a new website(a).

Later in 2014, ROIPA published the second edition of their Cronos ‘almanac’. It has a number of contributions by researchers frequently encountered in the pages of Atlantipedia, such as Emilio Spedicato and R. Cedric Leonard. Although it will be published in Russian, you can view the contents in English(b). As you will see the subjects are wide-ranging and it is regrettable that the volume will not be available in English.

ROIPA is organising its fourth Congress on the 13-14 April 2015. All are welcome and contributions invited

(a) The theme of the Congress is Atlantology in the XXI century – Development Prospects and is seeking to have Atlantology recognised as a legitimate scientific discipline.

Alexander Voronin (1954- 2012) was arguably the doyen of Russian atlantology at the beginning of the 21st century. He had a background in law and journalism, both useful in his research and his position as President (since 2003) of the Russian Society for the Study of the Problems of Atlantis (ROIPA(a)).

He was author of over a hundred papers and a number of books[796][797][798] related to ancient civilisations and Atlantis. Voronin was also the editor of the recent Almanac of the Last of Ancient Civilizations: KRONOS, which discusses Atlantis, problems, searches, researchers and hypotheses. He sometimes used the noms de plume Alex Bran and Bran Athanasius. Unfortunately, all his work is available in Russian only. A fuller biography is available in Archive 3922.

He believes that Atlantis was located in the North Atlantic with many colonies in the islands of the Atlantic and North West Africa.

Late 2011 saw Voronin and a team of scientists carrying out research on megalithic sites in the Mediterranean working from the luxury sailing ship Running on Waves. I was honoured to meet Alexander while the ship was docked in Malta and to have had subsequent email contact with him and so was greatly saddened to learn of his death on November 6th 2012. Russian Atlantology has suffered a great loss.

(a) http://roipa-atlantida.narod.ru/ (The ROIPA link has been broken since early 2013)

Marco Francesco Bulloni (1960- ) was born in the Italian town of Sondrio, which is in the north of the country. He spent 16 years travelling with his parents in Asia, during which time he developed an interest in history and archaeology. He has a degree in Nuclear Engineering, although he works for an insurance company in Milan, where he now lives. Over the past twenty years he has devoted most of his free time to archaeological research.

A couple of years ago, Bulloni found himself at the White Sea in North-West Russia, just over a hundred miles south of the Arctic Circle. As he surveyed the topography of the area he was reminded of Plato’s description of Atlantis. After studying the region for two years he claims to have identified all the principal features recorded by Plato; the plain, the Pillars, flora, fauna, circular rings, etc., etc. He further claims that these features all conform to the dimensions given by Plato.

Bulloni also believes that his chosen location in the Solovetsky archipelago is reflected in the famous map of Atlantis by Athanasius Kircher.

When I was first alerted to Bulloni’s book I was somewhat suspicious that it might be a hoax, as his name, when spoken, sounds exactly like ‘baloney’ which is American slang for nonsense. Anyway, as I proceeded to investigate, I read his description of trudging through swamps, climbing a mountain in a snow storm and being attacked by mosquitos, while a Russian website described the area being visited by thousands annually, no doubt using the adequate road system shown in my atlas.

Contrary to Plato’s description, Bulloni’s proposed location does not have high protective mountains to the north and while one annual crop in the region is probably very difficult, two would be impossible. The flora noted by Plato is more consistent with a tropical climate, rather than that of Karelia in 1200 BC (Bulloni’s date). Furthermore, he states that Plato said that Atlantis was still visible, which will come as a surprise to many.

While this is all bad enough, we are now threatened with a second book, Analisi Archeoastronomica delle Isole Solovetsky (Analysis of Archaeostronomy in the Solovetsky Islands). I will be surprised if it is not more baloney.

While this is all bad enough, he published a second book, Analisi Archeoastronomica delle Isole Solovetsky[0987] (Analysis of Archaeoastronomer in the Solovetsky Islands) followed shortly afterwards. A third offer (The Sacred Labyrinth). ing was launched in 2013 – Il Labirinto Sacro[0988] (The Sacred Labyrinth). Bulloni’s first book[712] is entitled Ho scoperto la vera Atlantide (I discovered the real Atlantis) but on his website(b) my online translator confusingly gives me Polar Circle: the discovery of Atlantis.